APP Joins Global Sustainability Leaders at GreenBiz

February 2, 2017

We were thrilled to be part of this year’s Greenbiz summit on behalf of APP, along with other leading global brands and other sustainability leaders, to discuss important issues around supply chains and landscape conservation.

Greenbiz is an extremely important platform for APP and we were fortunate to have worked closely with the Belantara Foundation to showcase the organizations vision and foresight in landscape conservation.

This was especially highlighted when APP’s Dewi Bramono and Mark Buckley, VP for Environmental Affairs of Staples and a board member of the Belantara Foundation, took the stage to discuss the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach towards landscape conservation, the role for corporate brands in conservation and what projects are currently being undertaken by the Belantara Foundation to fulfill its mission.

A few items which stood out during our conversations with fellow sustainability advocates also went beyond Belantara. They are challenges many are facing in tackling the complicated issues behind protection of the planet and at the same time running a successful and sustainable business. These included critical topics like engagement with stakeholders, climate financing and overall management of programs.

The Nature Conservancy also invited APP, via Dewi, to another discussion on “Finding Commercial, Climate and Community Benefits in Working Landscapes” together with other companies such as Weyerhauser, Walmart, and Generation Investment.

The sessionfocused on the experiences and insights from the companies’ individual experiences in simultaneously yielding productivity, job creation and fulfilling the climate mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement.

Landscape protection is not cheap. We are finding the donors and banks are there, but further study needs to take place on valuing protection of forests, animals and the communities which play a large role in these safeguards. “Companies like APP and organizations like Belantara are taking an active role within this area, but we also understand the importance of community involvement. It’s these communities living in and around the forest areas who will play the first line of defense and create programs which provide forest protection, as well as livelihoods which benefit all.”

Another major theme of the forum was supply chain transparency. Again, APP was part of two important discussions on this topic – the “Supply Chain Transparency Summit” where Dewi was a key discussant and another session on “Supply Chain in Three Industries” where we joined a panel together with representatives from Campbell Soup and C&A.

With APP being in the upstream of many noted global brands such as Staples, Walmart and Office Depot, brands are looking at how APP fulfills its commitment to transparency, particularly with its dashboard monitoring system which is an integral part of its Forest Conservation Program implementation.

Seeing the level of interest in what APP has done in landscape conservation and supply chain transparency shows just how far we’ve gone into our sustainability journey. Many brands now look at APP’s experiences and achievements as a case study for them and other businesses to follow. APP has evolved into a trailblazer in sustainability, not only in the pulp and paper industry but in any industry , anywhere in the world that wants to do business sustainably.